Reclamation is all types of work that are aimed at improving the soil and its greater return in order to obtain benefits for humans. As a rule, these works are really closely related to agriculture, which is why quite impressive means and various methods are used in this direction. They may consist of soil enrichment, and in making it suitable for use for harvesting purposes, that is, cleaning and leveling the landscape.

However, one should not confuse all these methods with soil drainage.

If drying them out leads to the fact that the environment may ultimately suffer, then reclamation always implies a close connection with the preservation of all natural reserves and systems both in the cultivated area and in the adjacent areas.

As a rule, land reclamation comes down to the development of garden and crop areas. It can also be carried out to improve the soil after its long-term use for agricultural purposes.

Quite often, these methods are used when the soil is subject to the destructive influence of various natural factors. In any case, reclamation does not include exclusively operational methods, but is a means increasing soil productivity without any negative consequences for the environment.

Soil reclamation in a certain area can be carried out for quite a long time. But its consequences for nature and people last much longer, that is, for tens or even hundreds of years.

What are the different types?

Land reclamation may include organizational, economic and technical measures. Competent logistics also plays an important role in the implementation of all work. In addition, only high-level specialists can determine the need for certain methods and their further impact on the environment.

Exactly how all reclamation work will be carried out depends on two factors:

1. initial state of the treated area;
2. for what purposes will reclamation be carried out?

Main types of reclamation lands are:

• hydromelioration;
• agroforestry;
• cultural reclamation;
• chemical soil reclamation.

Hydraulic reclamation

It is carried out in cases where it is necessary to stabilize the water enrichment of soils and their optimal moisture. Methods of hydraulic engineering, or water reclamation of agricultural lands, are designed to eliminate excess moisture in those areas where it is necessary, as well as enrich dry areas with moisture.

Water, air, thermal and nutrient regimes are brought back to normal, which ensures increased soil fertility and better performance in all respects.

Most Popular irrigation methods- drainage and irrigation.

Drainage reclamation comes down to reducing the excess moisture level in the treated area to normal. The optimal moisture content in the soil is mainly achieved by lowering the groundwater level. The drainage rate determines the level of their reduction to the level that will provide the most favorable conditions for plants. To do this, groundwater is diverted from the root layer along other paths, according to a specific plan.

The essence irrigation is the opposite. All irrigation reclamation activities are aimed at increasing the level of moisture in those areas that lack natural water resources. In particular, all work optimizes atmospheric, soil and hydrological indicators. That is, this is the irrigation of a territory in order to increase its fertility.

You can do the land reclamation yourself - watch this interesting video.

Cultural and technical reclamation

It is carried out in cases where the soil or area simply needs clear away unwanted items. It can include a huge range of different works. But they all boil down to increasing the “usefulness” of the soil, or making it suitable for cultivation.

This type of soil improvement ensures that it is necessary to carry out periodically even on constantly cultivated fields, as they become clogged with stones and unwanted plants over time. This leads to a decrease in soil yield, damage to parts of agricultural machinery and improper harvesting, since the content of stones in the soil makes harvesting on elevated stems. And the overgrowing of the territory with weeds significantly reduces its usable area.

Also, various works on cleaning and optimizing the territory are carried out in order to improve their conditions in areas unsuitable for agriculture. To do this, the land is cleared of unwanted vegetation, stumps, hummocks, and stones. Also loosening, sanding the soil, as well as other reclamation work.

Chemical reclamation

This type of land reclamation and all work on its implementation boil down to improving the chemical and mineral composition of the soil, which was initially unsuitable or unsuitable for good productivity indicators.

The main types of chemical reclamation, firstly, ensure the removal of chemicals harmful to plants from the soil, and secondly, enrich it with useful elements.

However, there are three most common chemical reclamation method, such as:

• Liming(enrichment of soil with lime fertilizers). This method is mainly used for non-chernozem soils;
• Plastering(gypsum is added to the soil, which reduces the alkalinity of its composition). The method is relevant for solonetzes;
• sourness(the soil is acidified) Most often, this method requires the soil on which it is planned to grow tea.

In addition, almost every soil needs to be enriched with chemical fertilizers. This type of agricultural work also refers to one of the methods of chemical land reclamation.

“Amelioration, reclamation and land protection” is a field of science and technology dealing with targeted improvement (reclamation), restoration (reclamation), protection of lands for various purposes, combating pollution, natural disasters - floods, flooding of lands, their washout, erosion, landslides , mudflows, dry winds - to increase the consumer value (utility) of land. The objectives of the research are to improve methods, methods and technology, improve the quality and reliability of the design, construction and operation of engineering-reclamation and engineering-ecological systems, substantiate new methods of reclamation, reclamation and land conservation. The objects of research are: 1) agricultural lands, forest and water resources, settlements, industry, transport, communications; recreational, health, historical and cultural, scientific, defense purposes, located in various forms of use, ownership or ownership and considered as geosystems of various ranks with an interdependent set of all components of nature: soils, including anthropogenic cultural soils and urban soils, soils, surface and underground waters, troposphere air masses and fauna; 2) natural-technogenic systems, including engineering-reclamation, engineering-ecological systems and measures that increase the usefulness of natural components. This specialty is an integral part of environmental management - human activities to increase the usefulness of nature and its protection in the process of environmental management. The significance of the scientific and technical problems of this specialty lies in improving the standard of living and health of the population, ensuring the sustainable development of the country, increasing the efficiency of various types of environmental management: agriculture, forestry, water management, industry, preserving and increasing soil fertility, protecting and reproducing water resources , flora and fauna.

Land reclamation-- radical improvement of land as a result of the implementation of a set of measures. Among the various types of land reclamation, the most large-scale are irrigation and drainage.

A major role is played by cultural work (fighting shrubs, hummocks, etc.), chemical reclamation (liming and gypsuming of soils), agroforestry, strengthening of loose sand, combating water and wind erosion, etc.

Land reclamation helps maintain and increase soil fertility, increase productivity, sustainability of agriculture, and mitigate the impact of fluctuations in climate and climate conditions on production results. In 1966-1985 The area of ​​irrigated and drained land in the country has approximately doubled. The scale of land reclamation is increasing, but the main attention at the current stage is on increasing its efficiency.

In recent years, irrigation and drainage have prevailed in the field of land reclamation. Other types of reclamation have received insufficient attention. Meanwhile, unlike irrigation and drainage, other non-water types of reclamation are less resource-intensive and are often preferable from an environmental point of view; they will receive special attention in the coming years. Great importance is also attached to increasing the economic and environmental efficiency of water reclamation: the emphasis is not on the introduction of new irrigated and drained lands, but primarily on the reconstruction of previously introduced systems, on improving the culture of agriculture on reclaimed lands.

The most important role in increasing the efficiency of land reclamation is played by the rational use of water.

Reclamation is understood as a system of technical measures aimed at radically improving the unfavorable natural conditions of the lands used.

There are three main tasks of reclamation:

· improvement of lands that are in unfavorable water regime conditions, expressed either in excess of moisture or in its deficiency compared to the amount considered necessary for the effective economic use of the territory;

· improvement of lands with unfavorable physical and chemical properties of soils (heavy clay and silty soils, saline, high acidity, etc.);

· improvement of lands subject to harmful mechanical effects, i.e. water and wind erosion, expressed in the formation of ravines, landslides, soil dispersal, etc.

Depending on the specific task, various types of reclamation are used.

Reclamation aimed at removing excess moisture from the territory is called drainage. It is used, in addition to agriculture, in municipal, industrial and road construction, peat extraction, when carrying out recreational activities in wetlands and other types of land development. Reclamation aimed at eliminating the lack of water in the soils of agricultural fields is called irrigation.

Reclamation of lands with unfavorable physical soil properties is aimed at increasing aeration, increasing porosity and water permeability of soils. To achieve this, correct crop rotations are introduced, sanding of silty soils and mole drainage are used, which helps to increase the air and water permeability of deep soil layers. Reclamation of lands with unfavorable chemical properties of soils consists of removing harmful salts by leaching, reducing soil acidity by adding lime, increasing the nutritional properties of soils with fertilizers and introducing correct crop rotations with an increased specific gravity of grasses,

Reclamation of lands subject to water and wind erosion usually includes measures aimed at reducing the amount and speed of flowing surface water, increasing the resistance of soils to erosion and dispersal. These activities are based on the use of a wide range of silvicultural, agrotechnical and hydraulic means.

In modern conditions, in most territories subject to reclamation work, as a rule, not one of the types of reclamation discussed above is carried out, but several, depending on the combination of natural and economic conditions.

So, simultaneously with the irrigation of the territory, forest strips are created on it, crop rotations are introduced on irrigated fields, fertilizers are applied, saline areas are washed, etc. All this, especially with the huge scale of reclamation construction in our country, makes reclamation one of the leading anthropogenic factors in the transformation of nature into in general and the hydrological regime in particular.

From the various types of reclamation work noted above, it is obvious that many of them do not at all fall within the competence of hydraulic engineering. Among them, for example, forest reclamation, agro-reclamation, etc. Therefore, in the future only those reclamation works that are usually combined into the group of so-called water reclamation will be considered, these are: irrigation, drainage and the fight against water erosion

Water reclamation has excited people's souls since ancient times. Irrigation canals were built by the ancient Egyptians, who figured out how to increase soil fertility in this way. Water reclamation (irrigation and drainage) is one of the main ways to increase the productivity of agricultural land, which occupies 10% of the planet's land area. A sixth of these lands have been reclaimed, and from 40 to 50% of all agricultural products produced are obtained from them. Land reclamation is an objective necessity in the transformation of natural complexes, the transformation of swamps and wetlands into highly productive agricultural lands, and the social and economic transformation of the country. As the most important link in the intensification of agricultural production, land reclamation is intended to make a tangible contribution to the solution of the Food Program.

Environmental aspects are inextricably linked with the economic side of the problem and require comprehensive attention and deep understanding. In Russia and neighboring countries, the areas covered by water reclamation are constantly increasing. This leads to a significant increase in water consumption. When carrying out water reclamation, up to 200 km2 of water is consumed annually, depending on the degree of moisture. In addition, in the countries under consideration there are practically no lands that do not require one or another type of reclamation to radically improve their fertility. The development of new agricultural land for irrigation is often hampered by a shortage of water resources, since this type of reclamation is typical primarily for the southern regions of the country.

Areas of irrigated and drained land in Russia and neighboring countries. When developing irrigation, it is necessary to base it on water-saving irrigation technology, which will contribute to a sharp increase in the efficiency of this type of reclamation. But until now, the efficiency of the irrigation network remains low. Thus, in the irrigation systems of the North Caucasus, water losses only in off-farm canals amount to 30% of the total volume of water intake. There are significant losses of water due to filtration in the main earthen canals of the Volga region irrigation systems. A significant reserve for the normal use of moisture is the correct choice and rational use of various methods of irrigation of agricultural land. Over the past two decades, Russian farms have increased the area irrigated by sprinkling to 75%, which has led to a reduction in irrigation standards by 25-30%. In recent years, more progressive methods of irrigation have appeared: drip and aerosol, providing up to 50% water savings. Thus, the irrigation rate of winter wheat when combining sprinkling irrigation with finely dispersed moisture was, on average, 30% lower over three years than when using only sprinkling.

With the development of irrigated lands, the volume of collector and drainage water increases. They are formed as a result of periodic irrigation, when there is excess water flow, as well as when soils are desalinated by leaching. In these cases, the mineralization of river waters increases and they become unsuitable for land irrigation. Such waters, for example, in Central Asia are diverted to special reservoirs (Arnasay lakes, Sarykamysh depression). Large volumes of drainage water are discharged into the Amu Darya. Over the past 15 years, water mineralization in the Amudarya has doubled due to this. Thus, from the territory of Tajikistan alone, 3 km2 of collector-drainage and waste water with a mineralization of 1-4 g/l is annually sent to the river and its tributaries. as a result, the water of the Amu Darya in the lower reaches became unsuitable for drinking water supply without preliminary purification, since its mineralization reached 2-3 g/l. To solve this problem, it is necessary to draw up schemes for the integrated use of collector and drainage flow for various national economic purposes (watering pastures, growing salt-tolerant and water-purifying plants, water supply based on desalination, etc.). It is also necessary to significantly reduce water consumption when washing saline lands, reduce irrigation standards, increase the efficiency of reclaimed systems, and organize the demineralization of collector and drainage waters while simultaneously purifying them from harmful impurities.

Drainage reclamation is one of the main directions of development of the country's water sector. They ensure high yields of agricultural products on lands that were previously unsuitable for such use. Drainage is widespread in areas where there are marshy and waterlogged lands, which is primarily characteristic of the Non-Chernozem Zone of Russia, the Baltic countries and Belarus. Drainage of lowland, transitional and highland swamps is carried out using open canals and closed drainage of various types. The impact of drainage reclamation on the environment has always been of concern to the general public. A heated debate began in the second half of the last century, when the expedition of General Zhilinsky undertook the drainage of Polesie for military purposes. The objections of the Ministry of Railways boiled down to the fact that draining the swamps would lead to the shallowing of the Dnieper and Pripyat. The landowners of the black earth provinces feared a reduction in precipitation and an increase in droughts in the south of Russia. It is interesting that the arguments put forward against land reclamation a hundred years ago are put forward in almost the same formulation now, despite the fact that significant scientific and practical experience has been accumulated to date. Large-scale reclamation poses many challenges, one of which is obtaining high yields in combination with effective and economical solutions to preserve the natural environment.

In the Non-Black Earth zone of Russia and neighboring countries there are about 40 million hectares of agricultural waterlogged mineral soils and 86 million hectares of peat soils. These lands are intended for drainage activities. When implementing them, it is necessary to take into account the dual nature of the functioning of modern reclamation systems, designed not only for drainage, but also for moistening. The decrease in runoff volumes as a result of increased water consumption with intensive meadow farming use of drained swamps (in natural swamps, compared to reclaimed swamps, approximately 1500 m3/ha less is evaporated and used) is compensated by the construction of reservoirs and ponds. Such systems should ensure the timely removal of excess water from wetlands and at the same time can be water receivers and water storage tanks for moistening soils during dry periods of the year. In connection with the intensification of agricultural production, the issue of protecting water from pollution is currently coming to the fore. It should be borne in mind that with drainage waters that are discharged into reclamation systems, nutrients, pesticides and other chemical compounds that have a harmful effect on natural waters are removed during drainage. As hydrochemical studies have shown, the designs of reclamation systems have a significant impact on the quality of groundwater, regulating, conducting networks and water intake. The main issue, especially with large-scale reclamation, is the impact of drainage reclamation on the water regime of the regions. After the creation of a drainage system, the hydrological regime is significantly transformed. The greatest changes are observed in river flow. In the first years of initial operation of drainage systems in the basin, there is a slight increase in annual flow due to the intensive discharge of excess water. Subsequently, it may decrease to its original value (before the start of reclamation work). It has been established that after land drainage, especially in the first years, the share of underground recharge in the river flow increases. Analysis of post-reclamation changes in flow during the summer-autumn low-water period showed that during this period the river’s water content increases. The runoff of the spring flood changes little, mainly in the direction of its decrease, since on reclaimed lands it is formed under the influence of two main factors acting in opposite directions: an increase in the capacity of the aeration zone, which causes large losses of melt water, and an increase in the flow rate of spring water due to developed artificial hydrographic network.

Currently, there are many complaints against land reclamationists in connection with the regulation and straightening of small rivers. It should be said that the so-called decisive straightening was carried out when the country did not have sufficient material, monetary and energy resources. In addition, it was necessary to solve the problem of providing the country's population with food. At this stage, it was necessary to quickly introduce drained lands into intensive agricultural use by using simple, inexpensive land reclamation methods. Often, numerous reservoirs and ponds are built for reclamation purposes. An example of this can be the Polesie lowland, where two approaches are used in organizing water management. If in Belarusian Polesie mainly reservoirs are created to ensure the development of agriculture, then in Ukrainian Polesie - ponds.

As a result of large-scale land reclamation carried out over the past two decades, Belarusian Polesie has turned into one of the developed industrial-agrarian regions of the republic. Without a doubt, land reclamation played a leading role; without it, the intensification of agriculture in this region would have been simply impossible. And at the same time, the catastrophic consequences that were prophesied did not occur, namely: the shallowing of the Dnieper and Pripyat, the climate did not change and droughts did not become more frequent. For example, the volume of Dnieper flow at the Lod-Kamenka post in 1980 was the same as in 1824, despite the fact that about 3 million hectares of land in the catchment before this post were drained. The main currently unresolved issue in science is the establishment of the permissible volume of reclamation for each specific water cycle, taking into account the rational use of all natural resources and the interests of all sectors of the national economy. But, given the government’s strategy, all this gradually fades into the “near future” section.

To realize the potential soil fertility, in some cases, reclamation is required. Melioration (from Latin melioratio - improvement) is a set of organizational, economic and technical measures aimed at radically improving land. It requires significant capital expenditures, which are repaid over a certain period of time by increasing the economic fertility of reclaimed lands. Reclamation makes it possible to change the complex of soil, hydrological and other conditions of vast regions in the direction necessary for human economic activity; allows for more efficient use of the land fund. In Belarus, more than? crop products. I classify reclamation depending on the focus and nature of reclamation measures (Fig. 12.1).

A system of measures to radically improve the unfavorable water regime of lands is called hydraulic reclamation.

Fig.12.1

The most common is the reclamation of lands with an unfavorable water regime: swamps and excessively wet lands. It is aimed at enhancing soil aeration, optimizing its temperature regime and stimulating the decomposition of organic matter, which is achieved by removing excess water from the soil - by draining.

To optimize the water regime of soils when they lack moisture, irrigation is used.

Irrigation (irrigation) is the supply of water to fields and an increase in its reserves in the root layer of the soil through technical, agrotechnical and organizational measures that ensure a normal supply of water to the soil. One of the methods of artificial irrigation is watering - supplying fresh water by constructing artificial reservoirs (ponds, canals, wells, etc.).

If it is possible to achieve optimization of the water regime provided that excess moisture is removed in the spring and autumn periods and irrigation in the summer, then two-way regulation of the water regime is used. Such reclamation structures have rather complex designs and relatively high costs.

To avoid rising water levels in rivers, streams, etc. Due to the large accumulation of water formed as a result of melting snow, ice or rainfall, flood-regulating reclamation is carried out.

Regulation of river flow, both seasonal and long-term, is carried out by constructing reservoirs, redistributing flood waters, and channel regulation.

Optimization of the water-air and temperature regime of soils with slight excess or insufficient moisture can be achieved by agrotechnical reclamation (Fig. 12.2).

Fig.12.2

Agrotechnical measures consist of restoring and increasing fertility, improving its structural condition through the use of special methods of processing and sowing, carrying out measures to retain and regulate surface runoff, snow retention, etc.

Land reclamation (Fig. 12.3) aims to radically change the properties of soils from changing the granulometric composition and up to the creation of soil cover.

Fig.12.3

On sandy soils, large doses of organic fertilizers are applied, green manure is sown, and claying is carried out; heavy soils are sanded, and compacted soils are deepened; uneven surfaces plan.

Cultural and technical reclamation includes carrying out a set of reclamation measures aimed at eliminating the unsettled nature of the territory, bringing the surface of the developed lands into a condition convenient for cultivation, eliminating small contours and improving the organization of the territory, removing boulders and stones.

The creation of landscapes is achieved through landscape reclamation. The goal of such work is to form cultural landscapes at the sites of dumps, developments, and quarries. In addition, such reclamation is carried out to eliminate the consequences of natural disasters that lead to the destruction of soil cover.

The basis of plant reclamation (Fig. 12.4) is the formation of plantings that protect soils from the destructive effects of water and wind. Such reclamation prevents the development of erosion processes, makes it possible to secure the banks of rivers, ponds and reservoirs, and combat landslides and landslides.

Fig.12.4

On flat watersheds and gentle slopes, on steep slopes, along river banks, along hollows, gullies and ravines, fields and soil protection forest belts are formed.

Forest plantings on sand and sandy soils, on slopes, and ridge watersheds prevent the development of erosion processes.

Agroforestry is carried out around livestock farms and in livestock resting areas, along roads and in populated areas.

Vegetation reclamation is effective in combination with cultural, agrotechnical, hydraulic and other measures. For example, when fighting water erosion, they are combined with anti-erosion tillage, grass sowing, terracing, construction of shafts, trays and spillways, and dams; when combating wind erosion - with soil-protective crop rotations and special agricultural technology.

Complex measures to regulate the climate in the direction desired by people are called climatic reclamation (Fig. 12.5). It is carried out in relatively small areas and mainly in the ground layer of the atmosphere.

Figure 12.5.

Climatic reclamation of large areas is not carried out, since this is an intervention in the course of climate-forming processes, which can lead to unpredictable deterioration of climatic conditions.

Chemical reclamation (Fig. 12.6) is a system of measures of chemical influence on soil aimed at increasing the reserves of nutrients in soils and preventing their losses, creating a favorable reaction of the soil environment, and artificially improving the physical properties of soils.

Rice. 12.6

During chemical reclamation, substances harmful to plants are removed from the soil, the presence of which worsens the chemical, physicochemical and biological properties of the soil and reduces soil fertility. The most common chemical reclamation in Belarus is the liming of acidic soils by applying lime fertilizers to replace hydrogen and aluminum ions in the soil absorption complex with calcium ions. The need for liming is due to the fact that most cultivated plants develop better in a slightly acidic or neutral reaction environment. Cultivated plants such as wheat, barley, corn, cucumbers, onions, and lettuce develop well only with a slightly acidic reaction. Sugar beets, cabbage, and alfalfa do not tolerate an acidic reaction at all and feel good only with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction.

Under the influence of lime materials, the effectiveness of mineral fertilizers increases by increasing their availability to plants.

Calcium introduced during chemical reclamation coagulates soil colloids, improves the structure, water permeability and aeration of the soil.

Solonetzes and solonetz soils are gypsumized. These soils in the absorbed complex contain a large amount of sodium, are distinguished by an alkaline reaction of the solution, high cohesion, atomization, and an unfavorable water-air regime. Soil gypsum - adding gypsum, the calcium of which replaces sodium in the soil, to reduce alkalinity.

Soil acidification (acidification) as chemical reclamation is carried out on soils with an alkaline and neutral reaction intended for growing certain plants that require acidic soils for growth.

Chemical reclamation also includes the application of organic and mineral fertilizers in doses that radically change the nutritional regime.

Erosion is the destruction of soils and rocks by flows of water and wind. Depending on the factors under which it occurs, two types of erosion are distinguished: water and wind. Water erosion occurs under the influence of precipitation flowing over the soil surface and is divided into planar (horizontal) and linear (vertical).

Plane erosion manifests itself in the fact that melt water or precipitation, flowing down a slope, captures and carries down the upper part of the soil profile. In this case, the soil loses its fertility, since it loses its humus horizon, and instead of it, the underlying horizon protrudes to the surface. This destruction is called soil washout.

Linear erosion, unlike planar erosion, consists in the destruction of the soil in depth, and not along the plane. Linear erosion is caused by melted snow water and precipitation flowing down in strong streams. Destroying the soil, they first form shallow potholes and grooves, which gradually develop, increase in size and turn into ravines. This destruction is called soil erosion.

Wind erosion occurs under the influence of wind and is divided into two types: dust storms and everyday (local) wind erosion. Dust storms are usually observed in steppe or sparsely forested areas, where strong winds pick up the sprayed humus horizon, lift it into the air and transport it over considerable distances. Due to the fact that, as a rule, a dark, humus horizon rises into the air, dust storms are often called black storms.

Everyday (local) erosion is externally manifested in the formation of small columns of dust and drifting soil particles.

Human economic activity is a decisive factor in the development of soil erosion. Improper use of land leads to increased erosion. Factors that increase the development of erosion include improper soil cultivation, plowing of steep slopes, development of new lands, and destruction of natural woody and herbaceous vegetation. Therefore, human economic activity should be aimed at limiting or eliminating the influence of certain unfavorable natural factors, preventing erosion, stopping its development, and restoring the fertility of eroded soils.

Natural factors influencing the development of erosion include relief, climate, vegetation cover, geological conditions, and the nature of the soil.

Protection of soil from water erosion is carried out by a complex of interrelated and complementary measures: agrotechnical, forest reclamation, hydraulic engineering and organizational and economic.

Agrotechnical and organizational and economic measures are preventive, the main purpose of which is to prevent the occurrence of water erosion; forest reclamation and hydraulic engineering measures are direct measures to combat existing erosion processes.

Agrotechnical measures to protect soil from erosion are aimed at retaining surface water runoff and improving soil structure. Plowing, cultivation and sowing of agricultural crops should be carried out only across the slope. Such plowing almost completely prevents water runoff and soil washout on slopes up to 2 - 4°. On flat slopes with a steepness of more than 4°, in addition to transverse plowing, intermittent furrowing and windrowing are carried out.

Crevicing is carried out on pastures, hayfields and winter crops. Crevicing helps reduce surface runoff, significantly increasing the water supply in the soil. A good method of accumulating moisture and regulating snowmelt in the soil is raking snow across the slope into 2 m wide shafts, snow plowing, strip compaction, or blackening the snow (with peat, ash, etc.). As a result of such measures, a large amount of moisture is absorbed into the soil, reducing its washout, and the yield of sown crops increases.

Special crop rotations play a major role in the fight against erosion, providing the best protection of the soil from erosion by cultivated plants and their crop residues. The first place in such protection is occupied by perennial grasses, the second by winter crops.

Forest reclamation measures come down to the cultivation of anti-erosion forest plantations of special shapes and designs.

In cases where soil washout cannot be prevented by agrotechnical and forest reclamation measures, hydraulic engineering measures are used.

Organizational and economic anti-erosion measures consist of special organization of the territory. When land management of territories subject to erosion, the main attention is paid to the following issues: establishing the specialization of the farm and its production units, the size and boundaries, composition of the land, developing measures to improve them and protect soils from erosion, designing rational crop rotation systems that ensure differentiated placement of crops, taking into account soil erosion.

The group of measures for cultural and technical surface preparation includes cleaning the surface from wood and shrub vegetation, uprooting stumps, roots, and buried wood; removing stones and leveling the soil surface, i.e., measures aimed at creating conditions for normal agricultural work. Measures to create a thick arable layer include primary cultivation of virgin soil, loosening and rolling. Activities for the cultivation of the arable layer include deepening and structuring the arable layer, liming of acidic soils, primary application of fertilizers, cultivation of preliminary crops, introduction of special crop rotations, claying and nurturing of peat soils.

The use of land for agricultural purposes does not lose its relevance even in the age of high technology. However, the effective use of soil for growing crops is only possible if it meets the necessary agrotechnical characteristics. There are practically no lands that are initially ready to provide a high yield after sowing without appropriate preparation. Achieving optimal results in the process of soil exploitation allows the reclamation of agricultural land, during which the quality of the cultivated area is improved. We are talking not only about directly increasing the productivity of the soil layer, but also about rationalizing the land from the point of view of further use for agricultural needs.

What is reclamation?

Reclamation refers to a whole range of measures aimed at increasing the productivity of the land in terms of increasing yields. This is achieved through the use of organizational, technical and economic measures, as a result of which the properties of the soil improve. At the same time, there are different types of reclamation that increase specific characteristics. This could be, for example, a set of measures to improve the health of a soil layer that has been subjected to excessive oxidation.

Reclamation operations are widespread not only in the professional agricultural sphere, but also in the field of private gardening. For example, this could be regular cultivation of a summer cottage or vegetable garden. But in this case, intensive and long-term impact on the land is important, since reclamation is a system of agrotechnical practices, the implementation of which radically and for the better changes the condition of the soil.

Land reclamation

This is one of the most common types of land reclamation work, which is used both in specialized farms and by ordinary summer residents. Hydromelioration involves improving the condition of soils through water or air influence. These measures are used in the treatment of excessively wet, swampy, eroded, arid and washed away lands. In such cases, the main types of reclamation are usually used, which normalize the water, thermal and nutrient regimes of the soil. The most popular types of hydromelioration include drainage, irrigation, erosion control, flood control and mudflow control measures. The prevalence of this area of ​​agricultural prevention is due to the resources used. In particular, water and heat with air are the primary components on which soil productivity depends.

Agroforestry land reclamation

Activities of this type involve the use of soil-protective and water-regulating properties of the forest. In other words, agroforestry aims to provide protective barriers, the formation of which also occurs in different ways. For example, anti-erosion reclamation is agrotechnical measures aimed at protecting soil from erosion with the help of forest plantings. In this case, trees are planted in areas of ravines, ravines, river banks, etc. Another area of ​​agroforestry is field protection measures. In this case, it is assumed to provide protection from unfavorable factors of various origins. For example, from anthropogenic, natural and man-made phenomena. Land protection is also achieved through forest plantations that are formed along the borders of agricultural plots.

Chemical land reclamation

With the help of chemical applications, the mineral composition of the soil layer is improved. But such measures should be carried out only in the case of unsuitable or initially unsuitable lands. In the process of chemical reclamation, elements harmful to vegetation are removed from the soil, and the soil is also enriched with useful components. Various types of reclamation of this type are used, including liming, acidification and gypsum. The first option is used to enrich non-chernozem soils with lime fertilizers. Gypsum additives are used in solonetzes to reduce alkalinity in the soil. Land acidification is less common, but in the case of tea cultivation, this method of reclamation is the most effective.

Thermal soil reclamation

This reclamation technique can be classified as a seasonal method, since it is used mainly in winter. The main task of such measures is to ensure optimal thermal conditions for the soil. Work is carried out before frosts in order to increase the temperature of the deep and surface layers so that plant roots receive protection from the cold passing through the soil. This is achieved in different ways, including the addition of mineral soil. Classic thermal reclamation is mulching, which is performed by spreading compost on the ground. This is the simplest method of insulation, for which various materials can be used. Even on a small farm you can find raw materials for mulching - in particular, sawdust, shavings, leaves, droppings, and other waste are used.

Cultural and technical reclamation

This type of treatment can be called superficial, since it does not involve intrusion into the soil structure and its chemical composition. As a rule, cultural and technical activities on the land come down to ridding the area of ​​foreign objects - these can be weeds, stones, stumps and other objects that become an obstacle to the direct use of the land. Cleaning can be done either manually or using special equipment. For example, cultural and technical land reclamation may involve loosening with cultivators and sanding. Such work allows you to protect the soil from overgrowing with weeds and increase its resistance to pests.

Forest reclamation

Activities have already been noted that use forest plantings as a tool for soil protection. But this measure can be used as an independent method of reclamation. The fact is that artificial and natural forest belts can effectively regulate water flows. For this reason, lands in forested areas are practically not subject to erosion processes. This characteristic is especially valued in large agricultural enterprises and farms where a water regulating component is needed. We can say that forest reclamation is an auxiliary factor that allows the formation of favorable hydraulic conditions for the soil on an ongoing basis.

What factors influence the choice of reclamation?

There are many aspects on the basis of which the use of one or another method of reclamation is determined. First of all, this is the initial state of the soil. The same oxidation or liming operations are carried out only in cases where the soil requires additional nutrition or restoration due to an imbalance in the chemical balance. In other words, depending on the current situation, experts determine what types of reclamation are appropriate to use in a given case. External factors are no less important - the presence of a forest belt and climatic conditions can add or adjust the choice of agrotechnical measures. An analysis of the needs for improving the operational properties of soil cannot be done without taking into account the characteristics of future land use. Each crop has its own soil composition indicators.

Conclusion

Land reclamation work cannot be called something new for agriculture. Perhaps this is one of the oldest types of human activity, which cultivated the land and already in ancient times understood the importance of fertile soil. Another thing is that modern soil reclamation involves the use of technically advanced tools and special equipment. With the help of productive units, agricultural workers carry out irrigation, cultivation, chemical treatment, fertilization and other activities. At the same time, there is still room for folk remedies for land reclamation, including mulching, loosening, clearing and all sorts of ways to protect the land cover from unwanted external influences.

Concept of land reclamation

Agricultural reclamation(from Latin melioratio - improvement) is a complex of technical, organizational, economic and socio-economic measures aimed at radically improving unfavorable natural conditions in order to obtain high sustainable crop yields.

Land reclamation, reclamation and protection of lands is a field of science and technology dealing with targeted improvement (reclamation), restoration (reclamation), protection of lands for various purposes, combating pollution, natural disasters - floods, flooding of lands, their washout, erosion, landslides, mudflows , dry winds - to increase the consumer value (utility) of land.

Land reclamation is a radical improvement of land as a result of the implementation of a set of measures. Among the various types of land reclamation, the most large-scale are irrigation and drainage. A major role is played by cultural work (fighting shrubs, hummocks, etc.), chemical reclamation (liming and gypsuming of soils), agroforestry, strengthening of loose sand, combating water and wind erosion, etc.

Land reclamation helps preserve and increase soil fertility, increase productivity, sustainability of agriculture, and mitigate the impact of fluctuations in weather and climate conditions on production results. In 1966 - 1985 The area of ​​irrigated and drained land in the country has approximately doubled. The scale of land reclamation is increasing, but the main attention at the current stage is on increasing its efficiency.

In recent years, irrigation and drainage have prevailed in the field of land reclamation. Other types of reclamation have received insufficient attention. Meanwhile, unlike irrigation and drainage, other non-water types of reclamation are less resource-intensive and are often preferable from an environmental point of view; they will receive special attention in the coming years. Great importance is also attached to increasing the economic and environmental efficiency of water reclamation: the emphasis is not on the introduction of new irrigated and drained lands, but primarily on the reconstruction of previously introduced systems, on improving the culture of agriculture on reclaimed lands.
The most important role in increasing the efficiency of land reclamation is played by the rational use of water.

Reclamation is understood as a system of technical measures aimed at radically improving the unfavorable natural conditions of the lands used.

Reclamation objectives

There are three main tasks of reclamation:

• improvement of lands located in unfavorable water regime conditions, expressed either in excess of moisture or in its deficiency compared to the amount considered necessary for the effective economic use of the territory;
• improvement of lands with unfavorable physical and chemical properties of soils (heavy clayey and silty soils, saline, high acidity, etc.);
• improvement of lands subject to harmful mechanical effects, i.e. water and wind erosion, expressed in the formation of ravines, landslides, soil dispersal, etc.

Types of reclamation

Depending on the specific task, various types of reclamation are used.

Reclamation aimed at removing excess moisture from the territory is called drainage . It is used, in addition to agriculture, in municipal, industrial and road construction, peat extraction, when carrying out recreational activities in wetlands and other types of land development.
Reclamation aimed at eliminating the lack of water in the soils of agricultural fields is called irrigation .

Reclamation of lands with unfavorable physical soil properties is aimed at enhancing aeration, increasing porosity and water permeability of soils. To achieve this, correct crop rotations are introduced, sanding of silty soils and mole drainage are used, which helps to increase the air and water permeability of deep soil layers.

Reclamation of lands with unfavorable soil chemical properties consists of removing harmful salts by leaching, reducing soil acidity by adding lime, increasing the nutritional properties of soils with fertilizers and introducing correct crop rotations with an increased specific gravity of grasses.

Reclamation of lands subject to water and wind erosion , usually includes measures aimed at reducing the amount and speed of flowing surface water, increasing the resistance of soils to erosion and dispersal. These activities are based on the use of a wide range of silvicultural, agrotechnical and hydraulic means.

Considering the importance of reclamation issues for agriculture and preservation of soil fertility, the main definitions of reclamation are enshrined in Federal Law No. 4-FZ of January 10, 1996 “On Land Reclamation.”

In modern conditions, in most territories subject to reclamation work, as a rule, not one of the types of reclamation discussed above is carried out, but several, depending on the combination of natural and economic conditions.
So, simultaneously with the irrigation of the territory, forest strips are created on it, crop rotations are introduced on irrigated fields, fertilizers are applied, saline areas are washed, etc. All this, especially with the huge scale of reclamation construction in our country, makes reclamation one of the leading anthropogenic factors in the transformation of nature into in general and the hydrological regime in particular.

From the various types of reclamation work noted above, it is obvious that many of them do not at all fall within the competence of hydraulic engineering. Among them, for example, forest reclamation, agro-reclamation, etc. Therefore, in the future only those reclamation works that are usually combined into the group of so-called water reclamation will be considered, these are: irrigation, drainage and the fight against water erosion.

Water reclamation has excited people's souls since ancient times. Irrigation canals were built by the ancient Egyptians, who figured out how to increase soil fertility in this way. Water reclamation (irrigation and drainage) is one of the main ways to increase the productivity of agricultural land, which occupies 10% of the planet's land area. A sixth of these lands have been reclaimed, and from 40 to 50% of all agricultural products produced are obtained from them.
Land reclamation is an objective necessity in the transformation of natural complexes, the transformation of swamps and wetlands into highly productive agricultural lands, and the social and economic transformation of the country.
Land reclamation is the most important link in the intensification of agricultural production.

Environmental aspects are inextricably linked with the economic side of the problem and require comprehensive attention and deep understanding.
In Russia and neighboring countries, the areas covered by water reclamation are constantly increasing. This leads to a significant increase in water consumption. When carrying out water reclamation, up to 200 cubic meters are consumed annually. km of water depending on the degree of moisture.
In addition, in the countries under consideration there are practically no lands that do not require one or another type of reclamation to radically improve their fertility.
The development of new agricultural land for irrigation is often hampered by a shortage of water resources, since this type of reclamation is typical primarily for the southern regions of the country.